Pipe sprayer



April 1968 J. (3. GRANT ETAL 3,378,088

PIPE SPRAYER Filed June 29, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 .5, Jay/V a: 554/1/7 :26- wizr/s/ 4446/44 INVENTORS.

April 16, 1968 J. c. GRANT ETAL PIPE SPRAYER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 29, 1966 W @Nw W fi m United States Patent 3,378,088 PIPE SPRAYER John C. Grant, Huntington Park, and Robert H. Magill, Laguna Beach, Calif., assignors to Byron Jackson, Inc.,

Long Beach, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Filed June 29, 1966, Ser. No. 561,638 6 Claims. (Cl. 175-84) This invention is directed to a rig-mounted apparatus for spraying drill pipe, tubing, or the like, while it is being run into or out of a well, the disclosure herein being for its application to an oil well, although it is equally applicable to a water well, gas well, or the like. The apparatus forming the subject of the present disclosure serves in general the same general purpose as that disclosed in United States patent application of John C. Grant, Ser. No. 432,561, System for Spraying Drill Pipe, now Patent No. 3,306,310, and United States patent application of John C. Grant, Ser. No. 437,015, Apparatus for Spraying Drill Pipe, now Patent No. 3,334,639. Of interest also are United States Patents Nos. 1,521,390 to Reynolds, 2,858,555 to Medovick, and 2,535,451 to Phillips.

It is desirable to remove from drill pipe being withdrawn from a well any material accumulated on the outside of the pipe, such, for example, as corrosive drilling mud. Also, it is frequently desired to treat drill pipe being run into or out of a well wtih a liquid solution such as paint, or a corrosive-inhibiting material, to protect the pipe and to reduce the deleterious eifect of drilling muds or compositions on the pipe.

It is a principal object of the present invention to pro vide an apparatus for installation on a derrick or rig for long-continued, relatively permanent, use for spraying drill pipe or tubing as the pipe string is lowered or raised, that is, as it is being run into or out of a well.

It is an object to provide an apparatus for accomplishing the spraying of drill pipe or the like, which apparatus remains positioned on the rig or derrick not only during the completing of the drilling or servicing operation on an initial well, but also continues to be part of the rig when the rig is moved to another location for a different servicing or drilling operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device which is adaptable to a pipe washing operation as well as a painting or corrosive-inhibiting spraying operation, and is also adaptable to provide lubrication on a pipe being run into or out of a well wherein pack-01f means are used to maintain the pressure in the well and wherein blowout preventing means and strippers are present. Such would be.the case in an air or gas drilling operation, and in such case, in all probability, no pipe wiper would be used.

It is an object to provide an apparatus for use where space is very limited, which would prevent or deter the use of other spray devices heretofore available; and an object is to disclose an arrangement which is in close proximity to the rotary table so that it would be more readily observable and easily reached through the rotary table for service and adjustment. These solutions of the problem would be especially applicable where deep ocean drilling is being done and a rig is mounted on a floating platform or boat having no floor or ground and no means to attach devices previously available for other drilling locations.

It is a further object to provide a device which permanently maintains its alignment with the rotary table and cannot get out of position with respect thereto.

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It is also a feature of this invention that it lends itself to ease of installation of a piper wiper between the rotary table and the well riser, and is a device which is located out of the way of operations and equipment necessary for use at the end of the well casing.

It is an object to provide a construction which may be standardized for installation on the I-beams used to support a rotary table, which rotary tables are now largely manufactured in accordance with American Petroleum Institute standards.

A further object is the provision of an apparatus in which there are fewer moving parts, and wherein it is not necessary to provide lengthy conduits and tubes, as would be the case of previous devices remote from the floor of the rig. In this connection, the control mechanism would be compact and not subject to exposure to damage that would occur with the lengthy tubing and the like needed for previous remotely-operated structures.

It is also an object to disclose a structure which lends itself to prefabrication and ease of installation on the rig, and which is more economical to manufacture and more rugged than other structures accomplishing similar purposes now on the market.

Other objects and uses of the device will be apparent from a more detailed disclosure and description, and will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view showing an embodiment of the present invention, installation beneath the rotary table of an oil well being indicated in broken lines;

FIG. 2 is a plan view, taken on the lines 22 of FIG. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view, taken on the lines 33 of FIG. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows, the view being partly schematic, and an alternative position of some of the parts being shown schematically in broken lines; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view, taken on the lines 4--4 of FIG. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows, a portion of the view being shown as cut away to better illustrate certain parts of the disclosure.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, and referring first primarily to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a frame 10, comprising a rail 11 on one side and a rail 12 on the other side, spaced apart at each end a distance greater than the diameter of a pipe to be treated, by the spreaders 13 and 14.

The frame 10 is shown as attached to the I-beams 15 and 16 directly beneath the rotary table 17 mounted in the floor 18 of an oil well rig and in close proximity to the rotary table. The I-beams ,15 and 16, the rotary table 17, and a fragmentary showing of the floor 18 of a well rig are shown in dotted lines for schematic presentation, and the structure thereof is common to oil Well rigs used in drilling Wells. It is noted that such an arrangement of I-beams and rotary table has been standardized in the industry, according to standards established by the American Petroleum Institute, and that the I-beams are standardized as having uniform spacing whereby a device such as disclosed herein can be made up in standard size to be attached to an ordinary rotary drilling rig used by any operator.

The means for attaching the frame 10 comprises the clamps 19 and 20 on the rail 11, and 21 and 22 on the rail 12, here shown as a well-known form of attaching means, and needing no further description.

There is provided a spray means 23 which comprises, in the form shown, a fluid manifold 24, preferably in the form of a pipe formed in a continuous circle and having at spaced intervals the spray nozzles 25, positioned and aligned so that liquid forced through the spray nozzles will impinge upon the entire circumference of a pipe positioned radially inwardly of the spray means for treating or washing said pipe. A pipe forming a section of a drill string is shown at 26, and when being treated would normally be passing up or down through the open central portion of the spray means. A source of lfluid here indicated as the tube 36 leading to a supply of fluid under pressure (not shown), is threaded or otherwise connected into the fluid manifold 24, whereby fluid under pressure is brought into the fluid manifold. The arrangement is such that the fluid will be sprayed through the nozzles when the fluid pressure is applied in a spray pattern, as indicated schematically in FIG. 2.

There is provided a protective shell 27 in which the tfluid manifold 24 is mounted, and which shell 27 comprises the top 28 welded to the manifold 24 at the top thereof, and thedep'ending side portions 29 Welded to the bottom of said manifold and extending downwardly and inwardly, the construction being such that the spray and liquid from the nozzles 25 is deterred from splashing and is confined against radially outward dispersion. In other words, the shell prevents loss of fluid in a direction other than radially inwardly, the operation for that purpose being obvious.

In turn, the shell 27 is attached to the frame by means of integral gussets 30 which extend down and are attached to the side rails 11 and 12, preferably by welding or some other permanent manner. The central area of the shell 27, as well as the central area of the manifold, is open to the passage of a pipe vertically there'through, the opening preferably being larger than the pipe to be treated, whereby enlargements carried by the pipe or forming a part thereof, such as pipe joints, drill bits and pipe wipers on the pipe may pass therethrough. The shell and the manifold assembly are located on the frame 10 above the open area between the rails 11 and 12, which open area is likewise of suflicient diameter for the passage of enlarged objects therethrough; and the openings and open area of the manifold 24, shell 27, and frame 10 are aligned so that a pipe passing through one will pass through all.

Rotary tables of rigs used in well drilling are provided with a central opening (not shown) whereby pipe and other objects can be passed therethrough and whereby an operator can observe the area below the rotary table if necessary and reach there'through to adjust any mech'anism within reach beneath the rotary table.

Referring next primarily to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, with an occasional reference to FIG. 1, there are shown the bumper gates 31 and 32 attached for rotatable movement to the bottom of the frame 10. As shown in FIG. 3, these gates are adapted to be moved to a horizontal position shown in full line to restrict or partially close the opening in the frame through which the pipe 26 moves in the closed position, as will be best evident from FIG. 2; and the pipe 26 does not have as much clearance to move through the frame 10 as it would have in the dotted line position shown in FIG. 3. Thus, a pipe wiper such as that shown at 33 would be restrained from moving upwardly through the frame 10 and through the manifold 24 and shell 27 when the gates 31 and 32 are in closed (horizontal) position; but with the gates in open (vertical) position as shown by dotted lines in FIG. 3, no obstruction would be oifered to the movement of the pipe wiper 33 through said opening.

The bumper gate 31 is provided with a counterweight 34, which, as will be evident from FIG. 2, also comprises a brace extending substantially the width of the distance between the rails 111 and 12. Similarly, the gate 32 is provided with a counterweight 35 of similar construction.

The coun'terweights 34 and 35 are preferably integral with their respective gates, and each forms one element of stop means whereby the counterweight 34 contacts the stop 37 and the counterweight 35 contacts the stop 38 when the gate is lowered, as shown in the dotted line positions of FIG. 3, to prevent the gates from swinging too far outwardly under the influence of the toggle hereinafter described.

The stops 37 and 38 depend from and are integral with the shell 29 as will \be obvious from the drawings.

The gate 31 and its integral counterweight 34, are mounted on a shaft 39, which in turn is rotatably journaled near one end in the pillow block 40, mounted beneath the rail 11, and near its other end in the pillow block 41 attached beneath the rail 12.

The gate 32 and its counterweight 35 are likewise mounted on a shaft 42, which is rotatably journaled near one end in the pillow block 43 and its other end in the pillow block 44, which pillow blocks are respectively mounted beneath the rails 11 and 12.

Means for positioning the bumper gates 31 and 32 by remote control are best shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4. As disclosed herein, themeans for opening and closing said gates comprises a servo motor here shown as a cylinder 45, containing therein a piston (not shown), actuated to move in a direction to open s'aid gates by fluid pressure introduced through the fluid line 46 (as shown in FIG. 1), and actu'ated in a direction to close said gates by pressure introduced to said cylinder 45 through the fluid line 47. Suitable fluid pressure means and controls may be used to provide the fluid for the purpose of opening and closing the gates, such as, for example, the control means shown in Grant, Ser. No. 432,561, new Patent No. 3,306,- 310, abovementione'd.

Attached to one end of the shaft 39, and adapted to rotate therewith, is the cylinder crank arm 48, which crank arm 48 at its other end, is attached to a piston shaft 50 extending on one end of the cylinder 45 and actuated by movement of the piston (not shown) in such cylinder. The attaching means between the piston shaft and the crank arm 48 is preferably a bifurcated clevis '49 as best shown in FIG. 2. At its other end the cylinder 45 is attached for rocking motion to a bracket 51, which in turn is integral with or attached to the rail 11. It is therefore evident that introduction of pressure to the cylinder through the fluid line 47 will urge the crank arm 48 to the position shown in FIG. 1 in full lines, thereby rocking the shaft 39 to a position indicated in full line in FIG. 3, wherein the bumper gates are in closed position. Conversely, the introduction of fluid through the fluid line 46 to the cylinder moves the crank arm to the position indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 3, at which position the bumper gates will be open or vertically positioned.

As best evident from FIGS. 2 and 4, there is provided a toggle or over-center mechanism for retaining the bumper gates in either opened or closed position, as the case may be, and there is provided linkage mechanism actuated by rotary movement of the shaft 39, for in turn rotating the shaft 42. Rotation of these shafts opens 01' closes, as the case may be, the bumper gates. Referring to the figures, there is mounted on the shaft 39 at its other end, that is, at the end adjacent to the rail 12, a crank arm 52, which crank arm 52, is fixed to the shaft 39 to rotate therewith.

On the same side of the frame 10, that is, adjacent the rail 12, the shaft 42 has mounted thereon for rotation therewith, a crank arm 53. The other or free ends of each of these crank arms, 52 and 53, are linked together by means of one or more linkage bars, here shown as the outer linkage bar 54 and the inner linkage bar 55. A single linkage bar may be used but for strength and stability, applicant prefers the two bars shown here. At the juncture of the linkage bar means and the crank arm 52, there is attached one end of -a spring 56, which in turn is integral with, or attached permanently to the rail 12 by means of a bracket 57. This bracket 57 is positioned so that when the linkage bar 54 is in the full line position shown in FIG. 4, the spring is to the inner side of the juncture of the shaft 39 and urges the crank arm to the full line position shown in FIG. 4. When the end of the linkage bar 54- is moved to the dotted line position shown in FIG. 4, the spring, as indicated by dotted lines, urges the crank arm to remain in its outward position.

Similarly, at the junction of the linkage bar 54 and the crank arm 53, one end of an over-center spring 58 is attached, while the other end of said spring is attached to a bracket 59 carried on the rail 12. It will thus be seen that the crank arm arm linkage mechanism and spring means above described create a toggle arrangement which retains the bumper gates 31 and 32 in the selected position until the operator desires to move them to another position.

In a typical application of the apparatus of this invention, the frame is clamped under the derrick floor 18 below and in juxtaposition to the rotary table 17 onto the underside of the I-beams and 16, which also serve to support the rotary table 17. With the axes of the opening through the gates 31 and 32, the manifold 24 and shell 27 aligned with the axis of the rotary table 17, the rails 11 and 12 are attached to the I-beam 15 by means of the clamps 19 and 21, and to the I-beam 16 by means of the clamps 20 and 22. To the circular manifold 24, which provides spray fluid to the nozzles 25, is attached the tube 36, which is connected to a source of spray fluid under pressure (not shown). T o the pneumatic cylinder 45 are connected the inlet and outlet air lines 46 and 47 from a source of compressed air (not shown).

As a valve (not shown) is opened to allow air to enter the cylinder 45 through the line 46, the cylinder crank arm 48 is rotated to the dotted line position as shown in FIG. 1, while the shaft 39 to which the cranks 48 and 52 are connected rotates correspondingly to bring the crank arm 52 to its dotted line position (FIG. 4); and the crank 52 being connected to crank arm 53 through the linkage bars 54 and 55, rotates crank arm 53 and shaft 42 correspondingly. This entry of air into the cylinder 45 through line 46 thus rotates the gates 31 and 32 which are connected to shafts 39 and 42, respectively, to their open or vertical positions as shown in the dotted lines in FIG. 3. Prior to entry of air through the line 46, the gates 31 and 32 are in the closed or horizontal positions as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2., and in the full lines in FIG. 3. The springs 56 and 58, connected to the brackets 57 and 59, respectively, and the crank arms 52 and 53, respectively, as shown in the toggle arrangement in FIG. 4, tend to hold the gates 31 and 32 in their closed or horizontal positions. At the same time, the gates 31 and 32, being counterbalanced by the counterweights 34 and 35, respectively, are provided further stability in the closed position. After entry of compressed air into the cylinder 45 through the line 46, though, as the cranks 52 and 53 move over center, so do their corresponding springs 56 and 58, thus urging the gates 31 and 32 into a stable open or vertical position as in the dotted lines of FIG. 3; and the counterweights 34 and 35, then being aligned vertically with the corresponding gates 31 and 32, provide further stability in this position. The gates 31 and 32 are restrained from opening too wide by the stops 37 and 38, against which the counterweights 34 and 35 hit. To close the gates 31 and 32, air brought in through the fluid line 47 into the cylinder 45 will reverse the operation described above, and move the gates 31 and 32 from the vertical to the horizontal or closed positions.

In preparation for spraying a pipe as it is being lowered into or withdrawn from a borehole or well, a pipe wiper 33 is installed on the pipe 26, and lowered down through the central opening of the rotary table 17 and the open gates 31 and 32 into its dotted position as shown in FIG. 3. Then by flowing compressed air into the cylinder 45 through the fluid line 47, the gates 31 and 32 are closed above the pipe wiper 33 as in FIG. 2. As the pipe 26 is raised, the wiper 33 is drawn up against the gates 31 and 32, which form a barrier or bumper for the wiper. As the pipe 26 is withdrawn, the wiper 33 removes excess drilling mud and other debris, the spray fluid is allowed to enter through the tube 36 into the manifold 24, and through the nozzles 25 to coat the pipe 26, as indicated in FIG. 2.

For spraying or washing pipe 26 while lowering or running it in the hole, the operation is similar, but the wiper 26 would then be in its lower or dotted line position as shown in FIG. 3, generally resting against the bell nipple or riser (not shown).

The operation is also similar when using the apparatus as a lubricator for keeping wet and lubricated for reduced wear the rubber packer elements used in rotating blowout preventors and strippers while drilling, or running the pipe 26 in or out under pressure, as in air or gas drilling operations. For these applications, however, the pipe wiper 26 generally is not used.

We claim:

1. A device, for attachment to a well-drilling and servicing rig having a rotary table and support for said rotary table, for spraying pipe being run into or out of a well borehole, said device comprising in combination:

(a) a frame having an opening therethrough larger than the diameter of the pipe to be sprayed;

(b) spray means carried by said frame;

(0) said spray means having an opening therethrough and said openings in said frame and said spray means being in alignment whereby a pipe may be moved therethrough; and

(d) pivoted bumper gate means carried by said frame operable to block a portion of said opening in said frame.

2. The device as described in claim 1, wherein the pivoted bumper gate means comprise a plurality of bumper gates controlled for opening and closing operations by servo motor means and linkage having toggle action.

3. The device as described in claim 1, wherein there are means operable for attaching said frame to said support in juxtaposition to and beneath the rotary table.

4. The apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein the spray means comprises a spray manifold with a plurality of spray nipples spaced around the inner circumference of the manifold whereby the spray will impinge upon the entire circumference of an article being sprayed, and a spray confining shell surrounding the spray area.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the frame has means operable for attaching it to said support in juxtaposition and beneath said rotary table.

6. A pipe spraying apparatus for attachment to the rotary table I-beam support for an oil well rig comprising:

(a) a frame having side rails spaced apart by an integral spreader at each end thereof to allow the passage therethrough of a pipe to be sprayed and having attaching means for attaching the frame to the I-beams supporting said rotary table;

(b) a shell and integral spray means mounted on said frame, said spray means comprising a spray manifold having a plurality of spray nozzles spaced thereon to provide spray to the full circumference of a pipe and having a connection to a source of fluid under pressure, and said shell being positioned around the outer circumference of the spray, whereby the spray therefrom is confined to a radially inward direction; and

(c) remotely operable bumper gate means rotatably mounted on said frame means, said bumper gate means comprising a plurality of bumper gates each attached to a rotatablZ shaft journaleddn pillow Referenis Cited trol for rotatably positioning said shafts, and toggle 1575526 3/1926 Bach 134' 199 X linkage connected to said shafts whereby said gates 5 are opened and closed when said shafts are rotated and are thereby selectively maintained in the position desired by the operator. JAMES A. LEPPINK, Przmary Examznel. 

1. A DEVICE, FOR ATTACHMENT TO A WELL-DRILLING AND SERVICING RIG HAVING A ROTARY TABLE AND SUPPORT FOR SAID ROTARY TABLE, FOR SPRAYING PIPE BEING RUN INTO OR OUT OF A WELL BOREHOLE, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: (A) A FRAME HAVING AN OPENING THERETHROUGH LARGER THAN THE DIAMETER OF THE PIPE TO BE SPRAYED; (B) SPRAY MEANS CARRIED BY SAID FRAME; (C) SAID SPRAY MEANS HAVING AN OPENING THERETHROUGH AND SAID OPENINGS IN SAID FRAME AND SAID SPRAY MEANS BEING IN ALIGNMENT WHEREBY A PIPE MAY BE MOVED THERETHROUGH; AND (D) PIVOTED BUMPER GATE MEANS CARRIED BY SAID FRAME OPERABLE TO BLOCK A PORTION OF SAID OPENING IN SAID FRAME. 